Frequently Asked Questions

Please login with your current username (email) and password. Click the icon with a silhouette of a head and shoulders in the upper right corner to access your account menu. Click “Change Username” to update your email and “Change Password” to update your password.

If you are unable to log in, click “Forgot your password”

Learning the Basics: Learn the ins and outs of coaching in our Intro to NSDA Coaching course! This course is hosted on our learning management system, NSDA Learn, where you can enroll in courses and complete them at your leisure. You can also check out our Getting Started hub for helpful tips on the beginning stages of setting up your team. If you get stuck, just reach out and let us know!

Event Overviews: The sheer number of choices for speech and debate activities can be overwhelming, but never fear! Explore the Competition Events page to see descriptions of events, sample videos, and explanations from students. You’ll be an expert in no time! Interested in what students are debating right now? Head over to the Topics page to take a look—and remember, now you can help us select upcoming topics!

Access Resources: As a member, you have access to videos of performances, lesson plans, speech resources, debate evidence and updates, and webinars. To explore a few of our most popular tools, visit our coaching hubs for speech, debate, team management, and self-guided student learning. To check out everything we offer, visit our Resources page and use the filter boxes to sort by event. Tips for accessing resources:

• Make sure you are logged in to your member account.
• Use the filters in the word cloud on the left side of your screen to narrow down the list of resources in the table. Click on one or more relevant tags.
• Type keywords in the search bar to filter the list further.
• In the top line of the table, sort by clicking the arrows next to Title, Date, or Access. 

Prepare to Compete: Check out tournaments in your area on our Tabroom.com calendar and start planning to bring your team out for their first speech and debate experience.

Prepare to Judge: Take our free Judge Training course, and encourage your other coaches or judges to complete it as well.

Expand Your Resume: While your students learn and grow, remember to plan your development as a coach by perusing our professional development options.

Explore the Honor Society: Members are eligible to join our Honor Society! Your students will earn points through speech and debate competition, as well as community service, public speaking, and leadership activities. Plus, you’ll be working toward higher degrees, too! The points your students earn are added to your coach record and lead to special recognition over time.

Understand Your Role: There are three main roles on an NSDA speech and debate team: advisors, coaches, and students. Check out what each group can access from their NSDA account dashboards based on their role and permissions.

We’ll Be in Touch: Be on the lookout for our weekly coach newsletter where we’ll share what’s new and noteworthy in the world of speech and debate. If you need anything in the meantime, be sure to reach out!

There are ways to make points entry for multiple students more efficient.

1. Entering points in partner events: In the row already provided choose a student and provide category and coach information, then use the Clone a Row (icon: two overlapping boxes) function on the far right of that row to create a new entry for which you only need to change the student’s name to their partner’s.

Need a Visual?  Click here to watch our brief tutorial!
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2. Entering all the points for one event at once: In the row already provided choose a student enter the event and coach to whom the points will go, then click the Bulk Add button to select all the students who competed in that event for whom you want to apply points. Once you’ve added all the students, use the Clone to All (icon: the blue group) on the far right of the first student’s row to apply the event and coach information to all the entries. Then enter the appropriate points for each student, hit Finish, and you can do the same thing for another event.

Need a Visual?  Click here to watch our brief tutorial!
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3. Entering service points for a group: Follow the same steps you would to enter several students in the same event, but also complete the service description and results to apply all the information to the students you’ve submitted in Bulk Add at once using the Clone to All function.

Need a Visual?  Click here to watch our brief tutorial!
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If you’re having trouble getting signed in, you can reset your password by clicking the link at the bottom of the Member Login page, or using the direct links below:

Forgot your password?

If you don’t remember your username, which has to be an email address, you’ll need to contact us.

Make sure to check your spam folder if you don’t get the reset/reminder email!

If you didn’t sign up using an email address, there’s no way for us to email you—so you’ll need to contact us.

Please login with your current username (email) and password. Click the icon with a silhouette of a head and shoulders in the upper right corner to access your account menu. Click “Change Username” to update your email and “Change Password” to update your password.

If you are unable to log in, click “Forgot your password”

Advisors must approve student and coach accounts that are attempting to be linked to a school.

1. Go to www.speechanddebate.org and click Member Login in the top right corner of the page. Use your username and password to log in to your account. Once you’ve logged in, click the “Account” button, in the upper right-hand corner, which will take you to your profile page.
2. On your profile page, click on the name of your school from the “Schools” pod to navigate to your school profile. On the school’s profile page, the School Roster pod will display a message indicating that you have pending access requests. Click the “Pending Access Requests” link.
3. When the next screen loads, select the Merge option to merge students or coach to any existing records by using the drop down box next to their name. When merging, be sure you check the drop down list in case a member is registered under a slightly different name (e.g., “Carlos Cortes” vs. “John Carlos Cortes”). Click Merge to complete the merge and add them. If the student or coach isn’t already on your roster, select Create New and click Add.

Need a Visual?  Click to watch our brief tutorial! (Merging Accounts | Creating New)
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As a best practice, we encourage students to create their own account (username & password) at www.speechanddebate.org/join before they are added to a roster. Students can then sign into their NSDA account and request access to their team’s student roster. Their request can be confirmed by their NSDA advisor. Check out our instructions for accepting a pending request!

As a coach, if you need to add a student that hasn’t requested access to your NSDA roster, you can:

1. Log into your NSDA account
2. Use the “search records” bar located at the top of your screen to search for an individual’s name.
3. Copy their NSDA ID number.
4. Navigate to your school roster page
5. Click the + Add Student button and on the next screen, click the green Add Existing Student button. On the next screen, paste in their NSDA ID number and then click Add when their name appears in the results list. You will be asked to confirm their addition to your roster. Upon clicking Confirm, they will be placed on your roster.

1. Log into your NSDA account and navigate to your school roster.
2. Click the green +Add Student button and then click the green Add New Student option that appears on the next screen.
3. Enter the student’s First and Last name and their graduation year. You can also add their email address and middle name if you wish.
4. Click the Add button to place the new student on your roster.
5. Once on the roster, students can add a password to their NSDA account by using the password reset link: https://speechanddebate.org/reset-password. Advisors may also generate a password for students by clicking on the Edit icon on the right side of the row with their name. After clicking the Edit icon, click the Reset Password button that will appear above the student’s name. The randomly generated password will be displayed for you to copy and send to your student.

1. The best way to transfer a coach is with their NSDA ID. To find it, please:
   1. Log into your NSDA account
   2. Use the “search records” bar located at the top of your screen to search for an individual’s name or email address.
   3. Copy their NSDA ID number.
2. Navigate to your school roster page
3. Click the + Add Coach button and on the next screen, click the green Add Existing Coach button. On the next screen, paste in their NSDA ID number and then click Add when their name appears in the results list. You will be asked to confirm their addition to your roster. Upon clicking Confirm, they will be placed on your roster.

1. Go to www.speechanddebate.org and click Member Login in the top right corner of the page. Use your username and password to log in to your account. Once you’ve logged in, click “Account” in the upper right corner, which will take you to your profile page. (Please note, in order to confirm pending autoposted points, you have to be a chapter advisor or a coach with permissions.)
2. On your profile page, click on the name of your school in the “Schools” pod to navigate to your school profile. From the row of buttons that appear under the school’s name on its profile page, click on Points.
3. If you are concerned that the pending autoposted points were manually entered, click the gray Options button and click on Show possible duplicates. This will highlight the already-entered points in red. If points were already entered manually, then you should click Ignore for each entry that has already been entered manually. This will take the entry off the autopost points page so you will no longer see it.
4. Check the autoposted entries for result and coach accuracy. Change the coach as needed. When ready to confirm points, click on the blue outlined button that says Confirm. If you’d like to confirm all autoposted points, you may also click on Confirm All.
5. If a pending autopost entry shows incorrect results, then you should contact Tabroom.com or SpeechWire because the actual results may need editing. Or, you can manually enter points for the same dates as the autoposted tournament and not use the autoposted points. If you manually enter points, then you should go in and click Ignore for the entry that you entered manually so it disappears from the autopost points list.
   Entering manually does not apply to District and National points as the point values are higher than other tournaments. If a district or national auto post entry is incorrect, they should contact the National Office.

Name changes and corrections can be made by a school’s advisor. On the student roster, the advisor can click on the pencil icon that appears to the left of a student’s first name to edit the student’s name. After making the edits, click on the floppy disk icon to the left of the first name to save the changes.

Note: In order to maintain accurate records, points are not editable. If points have been entered incorrectly, the record must be deleted and re-entered. This allows the NSDA to maintain a record of all changed/deleted points.

1. Go to speechanddebate.org and click Member Login in the top right corner of the page. Use your username and password to log in to your account. Once you’ve logged in, click “Account” in the upper right corner, which will take you to your profile page.
2. On your profile page, click on the name of your school in the “Schools” pod to navigate to your school profile. From the row of buttons that appear under the school’s name on its profile page, click on Points.
3. Click on Recent to view points that have been entered recently. On the table with the recent points entries, click the red trash can icon that appears on the right side of each row to remove an entry. The page will ask you to confirm your choice to delete. Click Confirm in the blue box. (Note: Only the last 6 months of entered points will show here. If points are older than 6 months, please email info@speechanddebate.org with the details of what needs to be deleted and we can take care of that for you.)
4. You’ll know you successfully deleted the points when they disappear from your screen.
5. Reenter the points in question as if entering them for the first time.
6. Repeat as needed.

Need a Visual? Click here to watch our brief tutorial!

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1. When logged in to Tabroom.com, click your school under Institutions from the menu on the right. If you do not see Institutions on the right, click your email at the top of the page.
2. Next, click the Competitors tab.
3. From the menu on the right (under NSDA Points), click Import NSDA Competitor Roster.
4. Scroll to the bottom of the page and click Import Students.
5. Your NSDA Roster is now synced with Tabroom.com. Anytime a change or add is done on the NSDA side, you must follow the steps above in order to “sync” again.

Need a Visual?  Click here to watch a video demonstration!

1. The best way to transfer a student is with their NSDA ID. To find it, please:
   1. Log into your NSDA account
   2. Use the “search records” bar located at the top of your screen to search for an individual’s name or email address.
   3. Copy their NSDA ID number.
2. Navigate to your school roster page
3. Click the + Add Student button and on the next screen, click the green Add Existing Student button. On the next screen, paste in their NSDA ID number and then click Add when their name appears in the results list. You will be asked to confirm their addition to your roster. Upon clicking Confirm, they will be placed on your roster.

1. Go to speechanddebate.org and click Member Login in the top right corner of the page. Use your username and password to log in to your account. Once you’ve logged in, click the “Account” button, in the upper right-hand corner, which will take you to your profile page.
2. On your profile page, click on the name of your school in the “Schools” pod to navigate to your school profile. On the school’s profile page, click on the Points button from the row underneath the name of your school.
3. Start by clicking + Add Points to get to the points entry system. Select whether you are entering points for a single tournament/event or an event with separate dates. After making this selection, you can enter the information about the tournament or event that your students attended.
4. Scroll down to the box that says Student. Begin selecting the correct student, category, and coach. Then enter their ranks or win/loss/no decision record.
5. To add additional students (or events for a student), click on the green box that says + Add Row. Enter the required information. Repeat as needed.
6. When finished adding students and/or events, click on the blue box that says Submit.
7. Repeat as needed.

Need a Visual?  Click here to watch our brief tutorial!

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1. Go to www.speechanddebate.org and click Member Login in the top right corner of the page. Use your username and password to log in to your account. Once you’ve logged in, click the “Account” button, in the upper right-hand corner, which will take you to your profile page.
2. On your profile page, click on the name of your school in the “Schools” pod to navigate to your school profile. On the school’s profile page, click on the Points button from the row underneath the name of your school.
3. Start by clicking + Add Points to get to the points entry system. Select whether you are entering points for a single tournament/event or an event with separate dates. After making this selection, you can enter the information about the tournament or event that your students attended.
4. Click on the blue button that says Bulk Add.
5. Click on the names of the students you’d like to enter points for. Once you’ve selected all of the students needed, scroll down so that you see the rows with each students’ name, category, and coach.
6. Then enter their ranks or win/loss/no decision record.
7. After entering the required information, scroll down to the last row of entries and click the blue outline box that says Submit.

Need a Visual?  Click here to watch our brief tutorial!

The more efficient way to enter student points is with the autoposting feature. Points for tournaments hosted on Tabroom.com or SpeechWire are available for autoposting within two weeks of the tournament date. Advisors can log in and confirm pending autoposted points rather than calculating them and entering them manually.

In order for points to show in auto post, when clicking “Enter Points”, a student must be linked from the NSDA roster to the program used (ie: Tabroom, SpeechWire). 

One of the cornerstone offerings of membership is the Honor Society, which allows schools to maintain their student roster online on our website and add points for their participation in competitive events and service activities. As these points accumulate, students achieve higher levels, or degrees, in the Honor Society. Coaches also earn all of the students’ points toward their own levels of recognition.

Points can be added manually by the advisor, who can enter results from tournaments for each student, or automatically if the tournament runs via Tabroom.com or SpeechWire.

When a student earns 25 points, they earn the Degree of Merit, which makes them eligible to compete at the district tournament. For more information on earning degrees, visit the Honor Society page of our website.

To learn more about points entry, visit our Points Entry page!

• Program advisors can visit www.speechanddebate.org and click Member Login in the top right corner of the page. Use your username and password to log in to your account. Once you’ve logged in, click “Account” in the upper right corner, which will take you to your profile page. Click on your school within the Schools pod on your profile page. On your school’s profile page, click on Renew Now from the School Membership pod. Follow the prompts at the top of the page to renew your school.
  
  Annual school membership is $349.To finalize the renewal, follow the prompts on the page to review the following:
  • • Step 1. Confirm information on the school profile page. Once confirmed/updated, select “Next Step.”
    • Step 2. Confirm the coaches listed. Once confirmed/updated, select “Next Step.”
    • Step 3. Create the invoice. The annual dues are automatically selected. You can use the toggle to add liability insurance for coaches. The prices for each item are listed on the right side of your screen along with a running total. When done, select “Create Invoice.”
      The system allows you to “Pay Now”, with a credit card or you can email the invoice to yourself or print out the pdf.

  Need a Visual? Click here to watch our brief tutorial!

Read below to learn how to link accounts for students, advisors, and coaches or assistant coaches on your team.
Prefer to watch a video demonstration? Click here!

How to Create and Link a Student Account

1. Visit www.speechanddebate.org/join.
2. Fill in the required fields and click on the blue Submit button at the bottom of the page.
3. The next page explains how to link your new account to your school so you can access member resources. It reads: “Log in to the account you just created below.”
4. If you don’t see your Account page, you can get there by clicking the Account link in the upper right corner of the page.
5. Click the blue Link To A School button and follow the on-screen directions.
6. Enter whether you are a middle school or high school student, then add your state and city, and look for your school in the “School Name” drop down.
7. When you locate your school, select “Request Access” and your program advisor will have the opportunity to approve the link request. If you can’t find your school, select “I can’t find my school!” and it will direct you to search from another list. If you still don’t find your school, please email us!

How to Create and Link an Advisor Account
If your school is joining for the first time, please follow this process. Advisors are the main contact for a speech and debate program at a school. Among other permissions, they can create and pay invoices. For more information on advisor vs. coach accounts, see Member Roles and Account Permissions.

1. Visit www.speechanddebate.org/join.
2. Fill in the required fields and click on the blue Submit button at the bottom of the page.
3. The next page explains how to link your new account to your school so you can access member resources. It reads: “Log in to the account you just created below.”
4. If you don’t see your Account page, you can get there by clicking the Account link in the upper right corner of the page.
5. Use the links on the Account page to request access to your school. If you need help, please email us!

How to Create and Link a Coach or Assistant Coach Account
An adult who has an account linked to their school but is not an advisor is known as a coach.

1. Visit www.speechanddebate.org/join.
2. Fill in the required fields and click on the blue Submit button at the bottom of the page.
3. The next page explains how to link your new account to your school so you can access member resources. It reads: “Log in to the account you just created below.”
4. If you don’t see your Account page, you can get there by clicking the Account link in the upper right corner of the page.
5. Click the blue Link To A School button, enter whether you are a middle school or high school coach, then add your state and city, and look for your school in the “School Name” drop down.
6. When you locate your school, select “Request Access” and your program advisor will have the opportunity to approve the link request. If you can’t find your school, select “I can’t find my school!” and it will direct you to search from another list. If you still don’t find your school, please email us!

Students must join an NSDA member school in order to be eligible for membership as an individual. A school is an accredited, diploma-granting public or private entity recognized by the state. In most states, homeschooled students must compete in academic or extracurricular activities through their zoned school district. The NSDA looks to the individual states to determine what makes for a recognized school. If your state recognizes individual homeschools for participation in school-based activities, your homeschool may be eligible for membership. Contact your state’s activities association to find out more or email info@speechanddebate.org.

Mid-year advisor changes (for schools already activated) require an email from the principal or head school administrator, indicating there is a change in advisor and confirming who that advisor is. The email should be sent to info@speechanddebate.org.

There are three main roles on an NSDA speech and debate team: advisors, coaches, and students. Check out our Member Roles and Account Permissions guide to see what each group can access from their NSDA account dashboards based on their role and permissions.

Yes, you may earn points for MUN, Mock Trial, and several other types of events, including theatre performances. Review the Unified Manual for information on recording points for service, non-competitive events, or non-Association events.

There are different processes for selecting Policy Debate compared to Lincoln-Douglas and Public Forum Debate topics.

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) handles selection of the annual Policy Debate topic. Each state organization, the National Speech & Debate Association (NSDA), the National Catholic Forensic League (NCFL), National Association for Urban Debate League, and the National Debate Coaches Association (NDCA) all have voting privileges. The national office submits one vote on behalf of the NSDA following voting by the membership.

Big Questions, Lincoln-Douglas Debate and Public Forum Debate have topic wording committees that accept topic ideas from the membership, discuss topic areas, and craft language for resolutions. Resolutions are then forwarded to the membership for vote by students and coaches during each voting period.

If you have topic ideas, please use our topic submission forms to forward your suggestions to the appropriate committee. Visit our Topic Creation Hub page for more details!

To get started, visit the upcoming tournaments calendar on our tournament hosting platform Tabroom.com. Sort by state or by date to find events in your area. High school teams can also connect with their local contacts, called district leaders, to find out about upcoming tournaments and their rules. Some tournaments are not posted more than a month in advance, so when building your schedule, it’s advantageous to contact an established local coach and ask them to share their tournament schedule with you. Middle schools can reach out to us for a connection by emailing info@speechanddebate.org! 

Submit suggestions for rule additions, deletions, or changes to the Competition and Rules Leadership Committee by completing the Rule Change Submission Form.

You can always email info@speechanddebate.org to get a clarification after reading the manual.

The complete set of rules is located in our Unified Manual.

Be sure to read the complete sections on event rules and note that the newest revisions to rules are indicated with a yellow highlight and items with a gray highlight are a year old. A complete revision history is in the back of the manual, too.

Finally, we update our manual after Board meetings. Watch our newsletters for alerts about changes and review Board minutes in the minutes archive.

1. Log in to your NSDA account on www.speechanddebate.org and select “Account” in the top right corner of the page.
2. Select the “Renew School” button in the School Membership pod that appears in the middle of your school’s profile.
3. Review all of your school’s information to ensure it is accurate and up to date. Scroll to the bottom of the page and select “Next Step.” Review your Coaches Roster for accuracy and select “Next Step” again.
4. Select all memberships for which you would like to make a purchase. The school’s membership of $349 will be automatically selected. You can also choose to purchase NFHS memberships for your coaches. Once you have selected everything you would like to purchase, select “Create Invoice and Proceed to Checkout.”
5. After creating the invoice, you will notice that the credit you had on your account was automatically applied to the invoice you created. If the credit covered the entire invoice, the invoice will show as Paid with $0 due. If the credit covered only a portion of the invoice total, the modified total needed to pay will show up at the bottom. For example, if you have $200 in credit and create an invoice for the school’s membership of $349, the total on the invoice will now show up as $149. Note: If there is any remaining credit after the dues are paid, credit will be applied to any invoice until the credit is gone.

Need a Visual? Watch our brief tutorial!

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1. Go to www.speechanddebate.org and click Member Login in the top right corner of the page. Use your username and password to log in to your account. Once you’ve logged in, click the “Account” button, in the upper right-hand corner, which will take you to your profile page.
2. On your school’s profile page, click on the Invoices button that appears in the School Finances pod. If you have an outstanding balance, the next page will have a red rectangle that reads Your balance of $XYZ is outstanding. Next to that text will be a blue button that reads Pay Now. When you click that button, you’ll be taken to the invoice screen.
3. Click on the blue number for the invoice you’d like to pay, then choose and provide the required payment method information, and then click the blue outlined box that says Pay. If you’re paying by credit card, you must pay your entire balance. To pay individual invoices, we ask that you print the invoice, include a check, and mail to us at our West Des Moines office.

Need a Visual?  Click here to watch our brief tutorial!

1. Go to speechanddebate.org and click Member Login in the top right corner of the page. Use your username and password to log in to your account. Once you’ve logged in, click the “Account” button, in the upper right-hand corner, which will take you to your profile page.
2. On your school’s profile page, click on View Invoices from the School Finances pod and you’ll be taken to a page with a blue bar that has several different options including Invoices. Click on Invoices and you’ll see a chart with all the invoices you’ve created.
3. Select the invoice you are looking for by clicking on the blue invoice number, and it will open that invoice.
4. On the invoice screen, you have the options of emailing the invoice, downloading it as a PDF, or paying the invoice. To print an invoice, first download it as a PDF and then print the PDF.

The district tournament series is unique from many tournament experiences. It is called a series because many districts hold qualifying tournaments for different events on different dates. High school students who compete at the district tournament are attempting to qualify for a chance to compete at the National Speech & Debate Tournament.

The tournament series is run by your District Committee, which is a group of five or six individuals elected by the members of your district. Lean on them for guidance to help make sense of the process because the tournament is distinct in how it operates from many other tournaments during the year.

One of the unique aspects of the tournament is that students may not compete in the tournament without being members with a Degree of Merit (see the Eligibility Requirements FAQ below). Also, the number of entries afforded a school is limited based upon the school’s overall strength. Given the standards for entry, getting an opportunity to compete at the district tournament is an honor for your student.

Note: District tournaments only apply to high school membership; our middle school national tournament does not involve a qualifying  process.

Schools must be members of the NSDA. To join the NSDA please visit www.speechanddebate.org/join.

Individual students must on a paid school roster with at least 25 points in the Honor Society. Each student must be officially registered as a member user on the NSDA’s website with an email attached to their account. Students who compete must adhere to the Code of Honor at all times.

For additional membership and point requirements, please review our Unified Manual.

If there’s anything we can do to help you with the process, please email info@speechanddebate.org.

Students can only participate in one event at the National Tournament, which we refer to as single entry. If you and your partner compete in a partner event and you both compete in individual events, you and your partner must indicate your preferred event on the Single Entry Letter of Intent (SELI) prior to the start of the district qualifying tournament. If you qualify in your partner event AND both you and your partner qualify in your individual events, you will go to the National Tournament in the event that you both preferred on your SELI form. However, if you qualify in your partner event and ONLY you qualify in your individual event, you cannot leave your partner behind, and you will attend the National Tournament in the partner event.

If students are double entered in two partner events (e.g., Public Forum and Duo or Public Forum and Policy) students must have the same partner in both events if the events are held on the same weekend. If the events are held on separate weekends, the partnership can vacate their qualification/alternate status of their first event in order to create a new partnership for the second event.

If one partner is not able to attend the National Tournament, other partners may not be substituted. However, a partnership may vacate their qualification/alternate status in their partnership event to allow the individual that can attend Nationals the opportunity to attempt to qualify in an individual event if the individual events portion of the tournament is held on a later date.

Be sure to review all rules related to partnership events by downloading the High School Unified Manual or email info@speechanddebate.org with follow-up questions.

High school registration opens on March 15 for schools who have qualified entries at nationals.tabroom.com. Your district chair will alert you when registration has opened. Review more information in the High School Unified Manual.

Middle school registration will open March 15 at msnats.tabroom.com. Review more information in the Middle School Unified Manual.

Please note that reservations for the National Tournament hotel block will open February, 2027. Any reservations for hotels within the block must be completed through our housing system that will be shared when the block opens.

The National Speech & Debate Tournament is the largest academic competition in the world and serves as the capstone experience for thousands of speech and debate students each year. The event is hosted in a different city each summer and brings nearly 6,000 students from more than 1,200 schools from across the country, U.S. territories, and select guest countries together for a week of rigorous competition to determine national champions. High school students in the United States compete to attend Nationals through the district qualification series. The NSDA Last-Chance Qualifier is an opportunity for students who did not qualify through their district tournament to have a chance to attend the National Tournament. The NSDA Last-Chance Qualifier is an opportunity for students who did not qualify through their district tournament to have a chance to attend the National Tournament. Additionally, each member school may bring up to two non-qualifying students to compete in supplemental events. International schools who are interested in attending the tournament can see International Programs for more information.

The Middle School National Speech & Debate Tournament is an open invitational that attracts more than 850 students from 160 schools from across the country, U.S. territories, and select guest countries. Various public speaking, literary performance, and debate events are offered, which are modeled after the high school National Tournament. Other less-competitive events allow additional fun opportunities for students to exercise their skills.

The first step is to let your fellow district coaches know you are interested in serving. Coaches who work with teams in more than one geographic district may stand for election to both districts. However, the coach may only serve on one District Committee at a time. In the event of election to two districts, the coach will be required to choose one district to serve and decline the other spot.

Board of Directors elections are conducted in even numbered years. Any member coach with five years of Association coaching experience (i.e., coaching as an NSDA member) may become a candidate for the Board by advising the Executive Director in writing before January 20 of the even numbered year via certified mail.

All candidates are allotted a column in Rostrum, our coach magazine, to support their candidacy. Each chapter votes online for up to four directors, and each active member school may cast one ballot.

Other, less formal options for leadership exist at the National Tournament and through resource creation or member feedback groups throughout the year. Volunteers are essential to maximizing our output as a nonprofit organization! Please contact director@speechanddebate.org if you would like to be considered for this type of contribution.

The organization’s national headquarters are in West Des Moines, Iowa. Our national staff are based there and in several remote locations around the country.

At the local level, the NSDA is represented by District Committees, of which there are 111. The five committee members, led by a district chair, are elected by the advisors of active NSDA schools every two years to serve in this role. Each district also has the opportunity to appoint a sixth member to advance representation in an underrepresented area. Each district holds its own district tournament, the qualifying tournament for Nationals for high school students, and finds ways to support the growth and development of local programs. High schools are assigned a district after joining the organization.

The National Speech & Debate Association is proud to recognize outstanding members for their expertise in coaching and teaching speech and debate. Our Professional Accreditation Program recognizes coaches and educators who are committed to furthering their education and skills to better meet the needs of their students.

In an educational climate where school administrators and districts look for documentation of professional development and recognition for activity in the profession, as a respected and established high school speech and debate organization, the National Speech & Debate Association strives to meet that need through our Professional Accreditation Program.

NSDA Learn is home to our set of self-paced online professional development courses. Increase your comfort levels coaching new events and pick up tips for managing a team that is stable, safe, and welcoming for all students. Courses can be accessed by any paid member coach via their NSDA Account page.

Additionally, we encourage all coaches and teachers to learn more about our Professional Accreditation Program, which recognizes coaches and educators who are committed to furthering their education and skills to better meet the needs of their students. Courses can be accessed by coaches at member schools via their NSDA Account page.

Our Coaches page is the central location for all the info new coaches need.

We offer self-paced, free, online courses for new coaches as part of our professional development portal, NSDA LEARN. The Intro to NSDA Coaching course covers most of the basic and foundational things a coach needs to know to start the season off successfully. Coaches can also take courses to learn more about coaching different events, engaging and mentoring students, and more.

Our Start Here series of grab-and-go lesson plans is especially useful for new coaches. These collections provide coaches with the tools they need to teach high school and middle school students how to do speech and debate events for the first time.

We also encourage all coaches who will be taking their students to competitions to complete our Judge Training course and “Protecting Students from Abuse” course. These courses, created in partnership with the National Federation of State High School Associations, are designed to help you review basic judging guidelines and help create a more equitable speech and debate environment for students.

Each year, the NSDA publishes updated Equity Focus Areas informed by feedback from the caucuses and interest groups that comprise our Coaches’ Network, and internal reflection. We invite members to review these commitments and stay engaged with our full collection of equity resources.

As speech and debate programs transition to distanced learning and online classrooms, the NSDA offers several programs to support continued practice and competition. NSDA Campus is a low-cost tournament hosting platform, fully integrated with Tabroom.com, that makes running online tournaments simple and accessible. Member schools also receive access to practice space on NSDA Campus as part of their membership.

We are proud to offer the Springboard Series, a series of free online speech and debate events. These opportunities include after-school scrimmages and two weekend tournaments, ensuring accessible participation for students and schools nationwide. We also provide funding opportunities for local teams through the Keith West Memorial Fund, the National Tournament Tate Fund, and general program grants.

We now offer an NSDA Last-Chance Qualifier, which is a free, online event for students who did not qualify through their district tournament to have a chance to attend the National Tournament.

All participants at speech and debate tournaments deserve a safe and affirming environment. To that end, the Belonging and Inclusion Station (BIS) exists to provide interpersonal support and address improper conduct, including violations of the harassment and discrimination policy.

The NSDA was originally founded as the National Forensic League, which Bruno E. Jacob of Ripon College in Wisconsin created in 1925 to motivate high school students to participate in speech and debate activities. Today, the organization’s mission is to connect, support, and inspire a diverse community committed to empowering students through speech and debate.

We envision a world in which every school provides speech and debate programs to foster each student’s communication, collaboration, critical thinking, and creative skills.

Membership is the primary gateway to those benefits, but we also provide leadership in topic development, rule-making, and the setting of competitive and ethical standards that help facilitate the activity at a local and national level. Many resources we create or curate are publicly available for new coaches and programs to get started and create a fair and inclusive environment for speech and debate students.

The NSDA collaborates with other speech and debate organizations, partners, and funders to generate credibility and stability for speech and debate as an educational activity and inspire decision-makers to prioritize quality speech and debate programming.

• Any source material is permitted as long as it:
  • Is not written by the competitor who is performing it. Original source material is not permitted in any Interpretation event except Original Spoken Word Poetry.
  • It is publicly accessible throughout the duration of the tournament you are performing the piece.
    • If you are performing a print publication, you must have the original copy of the novel, short story, play, or poem available. The physical book or e-book is sufficient to prove the print publication is publicly accessible; photocopies of original literature are not acceptable.
    • If you found your source material online on a website (including if you downloaded a PDF from a website or are using a transcription of a video/audio file), you must be able to show that the source material is accessible for viewing or purchase via an internet search or URL. It should not be password protected or require access codes.
• You may use material that is transcribed from video or audio files, but additional rules apply.
• You may use non-English material that is translated into English for performance, but additional rules apply.

The complete set of rules is located in our Unified Manual.

Be sure to read the complete sections on event rules as well as publication guidelines. You may also review other Frequently Asked Questions related to Interp on this web page. If you have specific questions after reviewing the material, email us at info@speechanddebate.org with the subject line “Interp Rules” for further clarification.

Click here for a list of resources to help you find materials to use in competition!

The National Speech & Debate Association does not have a specific word count for transitional material. However, this does not mean that any original material is acceptable. Changes to the script may only be used for the purpose of transition or to eliminate profane language. The voice of a script may not be changed. For example, changing “She moved to California when she was 13” to “I moved to California when I was 13” is not permitted. Combining small fractions of sentences or singular words to create humorous or dramatic dialogue, scenes, moments, and/or plot lines not intended in the original literature is prohibited. For example, it is not permitted to take one word from page 13 (e.g. home), a phrase from page 211 (e.g. ran away from), and a name, (e.g. Tyler) from page 59 to create dialogue between characters or events that do not exist in the script. Example: adding “Tyler ran away from home.” when this did not occur and was not said in the script is not permitted.  

Transitions only may be used to clarify the logical sequence of ideas. They are not to be used for the purpose of embellishing the humorous or dramatic effect of the literature.

Any word changes (to eliminate profane language) and/or additions (for transition) must be indicated clearly in ink on the script. Failure to clearly indicate the addition of words will be subject to disqualification.

If you have any questions about a script, please email info@speechanddebate.org with the subject line “Interp Rules” for further clarification.

Social media posts may be used as long as they meet the requirements for digital source material: the posts may not be written by the performer and the posts must be publicly accessible for the duration of the tournament. To be publicly accessible, the posts must not be password protected, so make sure the account of the poster is public and does not require someone to log in to the site. Additionally, check to ensure the posts are still online during competition. Posts that were public at one time but became deleted or private by the time you are competing, those posts are no longer acceptable to use.

This rule applies to NSDA district tournaments and the National Speech & Debate Tournament. Students may not reuse a cutting they used in a previous year. Students are also prohibited from using the same cutting in multiple events in the same year. For example, if a student used a cutting from a play at the 2021 district tournament in Dramatic Interp, they are not permitted to use that cutting Prose at the 2021 National Tournament or in any event at the district or National Tournament in the following years.

No. Videos of previous final round performances and/or other video media are intended to provide educational examples for coaches and students. They are not intended to serve as a model to directly imitate or duplicate in performance. Universal human emotions may lead to similarities in portrayal of characters. 

Wholesale impersonation, including cutting, blocking, and/or interpretation (verbal and/or nonverbal portrayal of characters and text) of material of previous semifinal round, final round, and other video media performances is prohibited and grounds for penalty. Given the extent of the artistic plagiarism, the performance penalty may range from lowering the ranking in the round to disqualification.

The use of a manuscript is required during performance, and competitors are permitted to use it as a prop with one limitation: the manuscript must remain intact and in contact with the competitor’s body at all times. A performer must not throw their binder or pages from their binder into the air, drop it on the ground, or otherwise lose control of the manuscript.

Additionally, use of visual aids is not permitted, and pictures, graphics, and/or illustrations are considered a visual aid. Even if the work you are performing has graphics in the original material, you are not permitted to display them. For example, you must not turn your manuscript around to show the audience a graph from the original material that is printed in your binder.

The story may be delivered standing or seated. If a chair is used, students may choose the original position of the chair. Use of the chair is not considered a prop as long as: 1) Once the performance begins, all legs of the chair remain stationary on the ground and do not move from their original position, and 2) Competitors do not kneel or stand on the chair.

New in 2022-2023, competitors may use material from a variety of sources in Supplemental Poetry if they choose. A Supplemental Poetry piece may consist of the entirety of one poem, a cutting of a long poem, a collection of shorter works or cuttings of longer works by one poet arranged in a program, or a collection of shorter works or cuttings of longer works by multiple poets from multiple different sources. Keep in mind that other organizations, including specific states, may have rules with regard to Poetry that may differ from our rules.

Dr. Seuss is noted for writing stories in meter. For purposes of Program Oral Interpretation (which requires the use of at least two of the recognized genres of literature of prose, poetry, and drama), as well as for our supplemental events of Prose and Poetry, works by Dr. Seuss may be used as either prose or poetry.

Keep in mind that this may not apply to all tournaments. For example, many states have their own specific rules with regard to genres of literature and what is included in each.

Each work in a trilogy (each play, book, etc.) is a single source. In Duo, DI, and HI students may only perform one work from a trilogy. Program Oral Interpretation (POI) allows you to pull materials from multiple works.

Material may be translated and performed in English with a few additional rules. Remember, all material must meet the general rules requiring that the original source in its original language is publicly accessible via an internet search or URL, and the website must not be password protected or require an access code. 

Additionally, if translating material, competitors must also present a printed official translation of the original source to be used in the case of a protest. What is an official translation? There are two ways in to obtain an official translation: 

• An official translation is obtained through the original source’s producer, licensing agent, or copyright holder.
• Or, an official translation is obtained through a translation service which uses non-automated, manual translation. Then, the competitor receives approval to perform the translation by the original source’s producer, licensing agent, or copyright holder.

Here is the full question:

The rules say, “In Duo Interpretation, focus may be direct during the introduction [the performers may look at each other] but must be indirect [off-stage] during the performance itself.” Is looking at each other considered looking each other in the eyes, their body, or both? In other words, could a performer look at the hand of their partner during a performance?

That is an excellent question, and the answer may be interpreted differently depending upon regional norms (there may even be variation in your specific state—some states have limitations in movement and focus delineated in their rules). In some contexts, only eye contact would be a violation of that rule, whereas in other contexts, looking directly at your partner in any way may result in lower scores by the judges.

To be safe in most contexts, you may want to gaze past the hand itself (the hand will be in your peripheral vision so you can tell where you are) so that you maintain off-stage focus.

The NSDA rules are silent with regard to touching the floor or lying on the floor. It is a choice that interpreters may make. Although students may not be disqualified for touching the floor, judges can take movement into consideration in the overall evaluation of a student’s performance.

Keep in mind that other organizations, including specific states, may have rules with regard to interacting with the floor, in addition to other limits on movement.

Digital unprinted publications such as videos, audio files, and films are permitted to be used with a few additional rules. Remember, all material must meet the general rules requiring that the original source is publicly accessible via an internet search or URL, and the website must not be password protected or require an access code. 

Additionally, if using video/audio material, competitors must also present a printed official transcript of the original source to be used in the case of a protest. What is an official transcript? There are two ways in to obtain an official transcript: 

• An official transcript is obtained through the original source’s producer, licensing agent, or copyright holder.
• Or, an official transcript is obtained through an official transcription service such as TranscribeMe, Scribie, or iScribed, which use non-automated, manual transcription. Then, the competitor receives approval to perform the transcription by the original source’s producer, licensing agent, or copyright holder.

NSDA rules are silent with regard to movement in our Interpretation events. It is a choice that interpreters may make. Although students may not be disqualified for walking in Prose or related events, judges can take movement into consideration in the overall evaluation of a student’s performance.

Keep in mind that other organizations, including specific states, may have rules with regard to movement that may differ from our rules.